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Happy Mutha’s Day from Mama’s Got Flair

May 8, 2011 Jessi Motherhood

I hope you all had a restful, pampered, wonderful Mother’s Day weekend filled with flowers, laughter, hugs and NO HOUSEWORK.

In honor of this fabulous occasion, I’d like to celebrate the glamorous reality of Muthahood with the newest, hilarious offerings from one of the funniest moms on the planet, Anita Renfroe. And for the record, I’d just like to say that it’s sickening how good she looks in some of these wacky getups. Some muthas have all the luck!

Werd to all tha rockin’ muthas this Mother’s Day from Mama’s Got Flair!

One comment anita renfroe, in tha muthahood, in the muthahood, mother's day

And Then She Changed My Life

May 2, 2011 Jessi Adoption, Motherhood, Outreach, Yay Womanhood

I don’t talk about my adoption experience a lot on my blog, because, while my son knows he’s adopted, he doesn’t know all the important details yet, and he should know everything before anyone else does. Still, with Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I’d like to take this opportunity to honor his birth mother. She changed my life in the most incredible way imaginable.

For those of you who’ve read my blog for a while, you know I lost my premature son, Aiden, in 2004. It was the most devastating, soul-crushing event of my life. I’d had serious, life-threatening complications with my pregnancy and then to lose my miracle was nearly more than my heart could bear.

Six months later, I miscarried. With the loss of that little one, so went my hope for having a healthy baby. My husband and I grieved deeply, but tried to stay strong and keep moving forward, most likely, childless.

Then a miracle happened. I was given the opportunity to adopt a sweet little boy, by a lovely young lady named Callie.* Callie was alone in her pregnancy, struggling financially and had no support system to turn to. While she desperately wanted to raise her son, she wanted more for him than she was in a position to provide at the time.

Callie had heard our story and knew how much we wanted to have a family. I still remember, as vividly as if it had happened yesterday, the first conversation we had about my son’s adoption. She changed my life that day, and again the day she handed him to me and I became his mother.

I can honestly say, Callie saved my life. After the losses of my babies, I kept moving on autopilot, but I was just going through the motions. My heart went into a hibernation that I wasn’t sure would ever end. Her selfless act, for the love of her child, changed my whole world. Suddenly, the sky was blue again and I knew that God was with me.

I firmly believe that if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have ever been a mother. Bringing Kyan into my life changed me physically somehow. A week after his first birthday, I found out I was pregnant again, and from that pregnancy, my son Jaxon was born, healthy and strong. And after Jax, Devin came and completed our family. Without Callie and Kyan, I don’t think I would have ever been able to have children, because I was so bereaved that my body just wasn’t working right.

I’ll never stop missing Aiden, but I can’t help but feel that he had something to do with Callie and me meeting. She’s truly an angel on Earth sent to me by my guardian angel in heaven.

*Name has been changed for privacy.

This post was brought to you by Heart of Haiti, a wonderful organization which helps Haitian artisans sell their beautiful works of art to provide food and shelter to there families after the devastating earthquake of 2010. They have many beautiful pieces from jewelry to stunning trays and art. For more information on their organization, CLICK HERE.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Heart of Haiti is offering a special discount code to my readers for 15% off of Heart of Haiti and Rowanda Path to Peace products. If you’d like to support the talented artisans of Haiti and buy some gorgeous handcrafted gifts for Mother’s Day, please visit their page and enter the discount code “CLEVERGIRLS” during checkout. This special offer is good from 5/3 to 5/8.

I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

2 comments adoption, birth mother, heart of haiti, mother's day

My Most Special Mother’s Day

April 9, 2011 Jessi Motherhood, Personal Flair

Before the first Mother’s Day I actually spent as a mom, I envisioned what my big day would be like. I fell in love with the idea of breakfast in bed and my little ones gathering around me as I opened some handmade gifts. I wouldn’t be allowed to lift a finger as my family prepared for the trip to grandma’s house.

After a fantastic and relaxing visit, we’d return home, where I’d relax in a bubble bath while the Brocker would get our children ready for bed. I’d finish my soak in time to kiss them goodnight, and then we’d spend the rest of the evening, watching chick flicks and cuddling on the couch.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Enter: reality.

Not a single element of my fantasy Mother’s Day has actually come to pass. I’m always the first to get up. I pack the bags for the day, and when the boys finally wake, Brock gets them dressed in the outfits I’ve set out.

We stop at the grocery store to pick up our contribution to the meal at my mom’s house and then we spend the afternoon chasing the kids together.

Bellies full of good eats, we go home and throw the boys in a bubble bath together. Splish. Splash. Splishity splash. Once we’re thoroughly soaked, we get the kids ready for bed.

Comfy and cozy, we all sit on the couch and watch something with superheroes in it until the boys, exhausted from a long, fun day, drift off to dreamland one by one.

We put them in their beds and then, exhausted from a long, fun day, we drift off to dreamland together.

This plays out the same way, every Mother’s Day, like there’s a glitch in the mommy matrix or something. And, truth be told, with the exception to the trip to grandma’s, it’s pretty much how every day in the Cooper house goes.

While these memories aren’t exactly the picture perfect Mother’s Day events that I’d fantasized about years ago, I can’t say that I’m disappointed.

I’m a mom. That is the real dream. That is the fantasy come true.

The fact that I am honored every year as the mother of these crazy kids is a privilege in itself. I waited, dreamed and prayed for the opportunity to have someone say, “I love you, mommy,” to me. And now, by the grace of God, I have three healthy, funny, energetic little men telling me they love me several times a day. How blessed am I?

Every day is my most special Mother’s Day. The actual holiday is just the cherry on top.

If you’re looking for a special way to honor all of the wonderful mothers in your life, from your own, to your best mom pals, check out the selection of cards and gifts at TinyPrints.com. They have a fabulous selection of Tiny Prints Mother’s Day Cards for all the super moms you know!

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Father’s Day Cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations or photo birth announcements. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars to commemorate the event.